


Goodness. Stars. You.

by My_s0ul_is_yell0w



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Heavy Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mentions of Rape, Murder Mystery, Past Child Abuse, Prison AU, Prisoner Magnus Bane, mentions of domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:29:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22911769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_s0ul_is_yell0w/pseuds/My_s0ul_is_yell0w
Summary: Magnus Bane has been in The Purgatory, one of the top-notch high-security prisons in the country for the past year, for murdering his father and his secretary and attempting to murder his friend, Clary Fray. As a deputy warden, Alec's only duty was to ensure that prisoners stay put. But it wasn't in Alec's nature to leave a mystery unsolved.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Magnus Bane & Catarina Loss, Magnus Bane & Ragnor Fell, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 20
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a multichapter angsty fic, hardly ten chapters. I hope you'll enjoy reading this.

Alec woke up to the shrill sound of his alarm, ten minutes to five, just like any other day. He had his fixed routine of working out, a huge cup of coffee and a quick shower before heading to work. The quiet moments of serenity he allowed to himself throughout his day of extreme chaos. Well, when you are the deputy warden in one of the highest security prisons in the country, your work tends to get a bit overwhelming and exhausting.

  


After completing his degree in Criminal Justice, Alec had a few months of voluntary work with the social services for troubled children. Although he loved working with kids and helping them out, his habit of getting too much attached to the clients was taking a toll on him. It might have been his big brotherly instinct, but he felt the need to protect every one of the children that came in front of him, just like he would do for his own siblings. 

  


Smaller ones are the worst. Some of them had been through horrors Alec couldn’t even imagine facing at that young age and they still stand strong after everything. They still have a little bit of hope in their eyes, of getting adopted, of living a normal life, of forgetting the trauma and as the wait prolongs, Alec has seen the light in their eyes dim, slowly losing the spark and finally accepting their fate as it is. 

  


Slightly bigger kids, they matured way too early to understand that with their troubled past, their place in the society will always be behind everyone else. They have given up hopes and dreams of a good life. So steering them away from going back into the trauma they came from took real effort.

  


Alec had called it quits when a four-year old he helped find a foster family ended up brutally murdered on the streets because the family was too focused on celebrating the older kid’s birthday in the park to notice that the smaller one was being kidnapped. And the fact that they didn’t realize the child was missing until they reached back home made Alec think that it was his own fault for not doing a thorough background check on the family. But what else should he have expected when a lovely family with two kids and a dog with a nice house in the suburbs came forward with adoption request? Every single one of his co-workers had assured it was not his fault but deep down, Alec blamed himself and he couldn’t take the guilt any longer.

  


He had taken a break for almost six months until Jace informed him about the current job. The top-secret prison, code-named ‘The Purgatory’ was funded by a for-profit organization linked to a mysterious private security contractor. Alec knew his parents and their company, Idris consolidated has provided with the funding of Purgatory. Being one of the leading Biomechanics and drug developers in the country, they tend to have more foes than friends, who either try to steal their technology and scientific research to create dangerous weapons or trying to uproot the company as such. So investing in a supermax prison was not a stupid decision, to be honest. 

  


Alec might not be in good terms with his parents what with their unwillingness to accept his sexuality but he respected their work. And his experience with social service had made him see the convicts in a different eye. So after his half year long self-punishment, Alec applied for the job and with his degree and experience in negotiation and problem solving, Alec was chosen easily. It might also have to do with his parents’ influence but Alec did not give it much thought.

  


This was a safe job, maybe not physically because the place has few of the most violent prisoners, but he wouldn’t be interacting with them on a deep emotional level as much as he had to with the children. The job was interesting and safe and risky, all at the same time. With the tough yet kind-hearted Captain Garroway as the warden, the facility ran smoothly and Alec was happy where he was. They had an apartment complex in the compound itself for the officers and other staff with all the necessary requirements so that there are fewer chances of people commuting in and out of the prison. Twice a month, the gates were opened for visitors for the inmates and for the guards and officers who can go outside to spend time with the family. 

  


Alec was proud of the work he did. Not only there were any attempts of a breakout at the facility, there also weren’t too many incidences of inmate fights. Though they were one of the cruelest bunch among criminals, the majority of them kept their heads down. Few outcasts regularly created some problems but then that was to be expected at any prisons. 

  


A year after Alec joined, Jace quit his work at NYPD and joined Alec as an assistant warden at the Purgatory. 

  


After deciding to opt-out of going to the gym, he chose to run that morning. It was yet another visiting day and he needed to be a bit more alert and the day will be a little more chaotic than usual. What with all the people moving in and out, everyone has to be more cautious about what was happening around them. He relaxed into the music playing through the headphones and hit the pavement. Alec let his mind wander and by the time he made it back home, he had mentally crossed off his to-do-list twice.

  


A quick shower and a toast later, Alec was in his office going through the vacation permit for guards. Every officer and guards get to go home once in three months for a span of two weeks, corresponding to the visiting days. Main gates are opened for a day every two weeks so that they can leave one day and come back by the time the gates open next, around fifteen days later except for an emergency entrance which is also used for occasional groceries and other deliveries.

  


Alec and Jace almost always take their breaks together so that their family meetups with Izzy and Max will not be interrupted. Alec was quite proud of all his siblings. Izzy was almost done with her Law school and graduating in another month and Max was doing his major in Biotechnology, getting ready to join the family business. All of them scheduled their breaks to have whatever siblings time they had, outside the crushing weight of work and studies. 

  


As Alec went through the visitors' list for the day, and he almost kept it aside, he noticed something unusual. Never in the past year, not even once since Magnus Bane came to the facility, he had a single visitor. Today, at the end of the list, the name Ragnor Fell, glared at Alec. He knew Ragnor was Magnus’ lawyer, he had followed the case adamantly since it was one of the most grueling murders which took place around that time. And since it was a high profile case, Alec had an inkling that Magnus would end up at the Purgatory and true to his thoughts, he did.

  


Magnus was an enigma he couldn’t solve yet take his mind off since he heard the news for the first time. Downworld Inc. was a notorious name in the business world with its astounding success in weapon manufacturing. It was even rumored that Asmodeus cuts deal with a few terrorist groups but then no shreds of evidence were found to incriminate him. On the contrary, Magnus Bane was proving to be a headache for the senior. Despite continuous coaxing and promises, Magnus refused to join his father. He focused on the use of technology in creating affordable prosthetic limbs to war veterans which were the exact opposite of what his father intends to do.

  


There were more than enough news both in multiple tabloids and mainstream media alike of the frequent fights among the father-son duo. It was not a secret that Magnus despised his father and he had made it clear on more than one occasion. It was a quite regular day where Alec woke up to the news of the murder of Downworld Inc. owner Asmodeus Bane and his private secretary Meliorn at their office. The police had found the blood samples from the site and a disheveled and injured but unconscious Magnus Bane in his office. They also found the murder weapon which he had hidden in his personal locker. With all the prior history, it was easier to pin the crime on to Magnus. 

  


Alec could not believe that Magnus would do it but as the trial progressed, new evidence came into the light where they had released a voice message recorded in Magnus’ assistant Clary’s phone in which she was heard to be begging Magnus to not kill anyone. And it looked like Magnus wanted to clean all the evidence so he had tried to kill Clary too, along with the others. Unfortunately for him, when he left her for dead with a killing blow to the head, she survived. She is still in a coma a year later, but she lives. And Magnus ended up in the prison.

  


What troubled Alec the most was neither the gruesome details of the murder nor the heart-wrenching look on Clary’s mother’s face but the refusal of Magnus to fight back. The Magnus Bane he heard about from the news and his friends' circle was not a person to crumble before a crisis. Magnus stood his ground against his father, who was quite scary and powerful, to be honest during all their fights. Magnus fought for the ailing souls who might have suffered at his father’s hands, knowingly or unknowingly. Alec had heard about some of his products which rivaled his own parents' company and if he was being truthful to himself, he knew they were a bit better than what Idris produced. 

  


During their time together, Alec had heard Max go on and on about how amazing Magnus was and had, in fact, asked his opinion about joining Magnus after his studies instead of Idris. Alec was against the idea of his little brother joining the rivals instead of their parents in fear of angering his parents, but he had grudgingly agreed at Max’s insistence. 

  


So when they arrested Magnus for killing his father and his secretary, Alec expected months and months of trial and Magnus fighting back tooth and nail. What he did not expect was Magnus surrendering at the first instance and pleading guilty. Even his lawyers looked like they had given up the fight. All the evidence pointed at Magnus, but they could have at least tried.

  


Maybe he was guilty. Maybe he actually did it.

  


All of their facility, prisoners and guards alike were on high alert and anticipating the day Magnus came. They expected a huge struggle and the way media painted him as a ruthless monster, a scuffle was bound to happen. But just like before, Magnus defied all the predictions and kept his head down and walked to his cell silently, no trouble at all. It was like a light had gone out inside him. The all-powerful son of a business tycoon with innumerable wealth and a mind full of world-changing ideas had shut down. Completely. 

  


Alec did not know if it was the guilt eating him up or something else entirely. Magnus was the exact opposite of the man he heard about outside those walls. He fit into the prison routine with no complaints whatsoever. Never talked to anyone unless asked to, never looked anyone in the eyes, never provoked anyone unnecessarily. Never started or even was a part of a few of the very rare inmate fights which happened. Always lost in a world of his own. 

  


Not a single soul came to visit him, not the supposed to be friends he partied with, not his family, not his lawyers. No one. Until today. 

  


Alec was curious about the visit. Why? After all this time? Are they plotting something? Alec knew that the facility was impenetrable, no one comes in or leaves without authorization. Security was so tight every single second of the day that not even a fly could enter without being monitored. 

  


There are few other regulars and pushing his wayward thoughts aside Alec approved the list and called Jace to his office.

  


“Who is on visitor's duty today?” He asked Jace as soon as he came in.

  


“Raj is on the roaster. Why? What happened?”

  


“Magnus has a visitor today. Ragnor Fell.”

  


“His lawyer? Why is he visiting now? After all this time?” Jace asked, settling himself into the chair opposite to Alec.

  


“That’s what. Something doesn’t seem right.” Alec passed him the list to check out. 

  


“Do you want me to exchange the shift? I can keep an eye on them.” Jace answered, glancing through the list.

  


“I don’t know Jace... What should we do?” Alec was conflicted. He wanted to know if he had to plan for stopping a breakout. He didn’t expect Magnus to do so but he couldn’t risk any chances. 

  


“Alec, stop overthinking. Nothing is gonna happen. I’ll take on the duty. I’ll keep an eye out. If there is anything suspicious, we can keep him in solitary. Is that okay with you?”

  


“Okay. Okay. Yeah. We will do that.” Alec sat back down in his chair and left out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He can do this. He is not alone, Jace is with him. And they can do this.

  


Alec called up Luke to inform him about the change in shift. The fact that he didn’t ask Alec for any explanations showed the trust the warden had in him. And he promised himself to value that and try his best to keep that trust. 

  


As the day progressed and the time for Ragnor to visit came near, Alec grew more and more impatient. He kept pacing in his office, guzzling down probably his fifth cup of coffee. Jace had come in some time ago partly to update him on the status and partly to scold Alec for panicking so much. Alec had calmed down a bit, but the nagging feeling never quite went away. 

  


By the time lunch hour came, Alec was a mess. He was minutes away from getting out of the office and drop by the visiting room when Jace came in.

  


“I don’t think they are planning anything, Alec.” Jace did not waste any time with pleasantries.

  


“Why? Did you hear what they said?”

  


“No. I didn’t. I don’t know exactly what they talked about. But whatever Ragnor said to him, it was not good.” 

  


“What do you mean?” Alec knew he should relax but seeing Jace’s panicked face was not comforting. 

  


“Alec,” Jace had a slight hesitation in his voice, “We saw him during the trial. We saw him when he came here. We know how subdued he is all the time. But Alec, I have never seen him this broken.” 

  


“What are you talking about Jace?”

  


“They didn’t talk for too long. Hardly a minute or two. Magnus was okay at first and I have no idea what Ragnor said but in a second, it was as if Magnus physically took a blow. He just completely collapsed Alec. Didn’t say another word and walked away.” 

  


“Did you get to talk to Ragnor?”

  


“I tried but he wouldn’t talk.”

  


“Do you still think we should move him to the solitary?” Jace poured himself a cup from Alec’s coffee maker and sat in the chair. The day did not turn out the way he expected it to. 

  


“No. Let him be. From what you’ve said, I don’t think he would do anything.” 

  


“Me too.” 

  


  


It was quite late when Alec returned to his apartment that night. He went through his daily routine at the office in autopilot all the while thinking about Magnus. Alec couldn’t imagine what he was going through. A person who lived by only with pure intentions to do good, was charged with double murder and a murder attempt which he may or may not have committed and was doomed to spend a lifetime in one of the highest security prisons in the country. What was the news grave enough to break that man who was already at his rock bottom? What happened after a whole year that made him suffer more than he ever did? 

  


As he made his way back to his apartment, Alec made a detour from his usual routine and passed through the cell block. He pretended to stop and talk to the guard near Magnus’ cell because truly, Alec wanted to make sure he was alright. And Magnus sat there, in the farthest corner, curled into himself, knees folded to the chest and hugged tight. Alec saw the empty eyes staring into nothing, unfocused and bloodshot. Magnus was indeed crushed. Whatever soul he had when he was dumped into this hell of a place, had left him. Alec could not stand and see the grief and despair in those eyes and in that moment of deafening clarity, he knew that Magnus was not a murderer. 

  


The empty shell of a man sitting in front of him was in no way capable of murdering his father and best friend in cold blood, how much ever hatred he had in him.

  


******************************************** 

  


_‘Numerous thoughts were creating quite a huge fuss in his head when Alec went to sleep that day. Magnus’ face, tired and entirely lost kept appearing behind his closed lids. And when he fell asleep hours later, Alec dreamt of a little boy. A little boy, no more than five years old, who gave Alec his last piece of sandwich when a group of bullies pushed Alec into the ground and stole his lunch. A little boy with eyes full of nothing but kindness.’_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec gets to know the news that upset Magnus. Maybe a little more than he bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't kept a fixed deadline so there is no actual schedule for updating. I will do it as soon as I finish each chapter. Hope to finish the whole thing by the end of next month.

A week passed since the wretched news broke Magnus and every single day of the past week, Alec kept looking out for him only to find him shrinking more and more into himself. 

  


Inmates had a fixed schedule of work and other activities that they are bound to follow. Those who opt to study can go to the separate hall assigned for them with a tutor so they can obtain a high school diploma if needed while being incarcerated. Therapy was provided for those who required it. The other inmates shared remaining duties on schedule which included cooking, gardening, woodworks and the likes of it. Alec knew Magnus was going to be manning the library today, he had been following the schedule religiously to find an opportunity to talk to him.

  


Hence, as soon as he reached his office in the morning, Alec double-checked the schedule and made sure of it and started on his regular work, if only to waste some time before the morning rush in the library came down. The inmates had about an hour to two post-breakfast wherein they either can spend it in the reading room or take their books elsewhere. By afternoon everyone should return to their cells except those on fixed duties.

  


Afternoon came and Alec made his way into the library where he knew Magnus would be getting the whole thing back in order with no one else around providing him enough time to talk. At first, when he saw the room to be empty, Alec thought maybe he had left. He was about to go back himself when he heard a quiet sob from somewhere deep inside. Alec walked back inside and behind the shelves, to see Magnus on the floor, hugging himself, silently crying.

  


He came closer, Alec wanted to comfort the man but he didn’t know if it was his place. So he crouched down, sat next to Magnus, his hand itching to wipe those tears.

  


“Magnus?” Magnus merely lifted his eyes and looked at Alec. He realized how vulnerable the man might be if he was not even willing to get up and wipe the tears, at least to keep up the pretense. Alec slowly kept a hand on his shoulder and called again.

  


“Magnus, are you alright?”

  


“No.”

  


“Do you want to talk about it?” Alec sat back and watched as Magnus slowly sat up against the wall and sighed. They sat quietly for a long time as his tears dried up and the sobs turned into quiet sniffles. Alec would love to talk to Magnus, that was why he came to meet him in the first place but if he needed time, he was willing to be by side, a silent presence, as long as he needed. After what felt like hours, Alec felt his legs cramping up on the cold floor, but he didn’t dare move. 

  


“My mother died.” A soft voice said from beside him, a faint whisper, voice hoarse from hours of crying. “Ragnor came to give me the news. I thought you would want to know.”

  


Alec felt as though the bottom dropped out of his stomach. He felt the man trembling next to him and brought his arm around Magnus’ shoulder, not sure if he should do it but when Magnus melted into his touch and once again started sobbing violently, Alec knew he made the right decision. So he held Magnus closer, his hands slowly rubbing his back and let him pour it all out. His broken cries echoed in the silence and Alec waited patiently by his side and in a hushed tone, sang his favorite lullaby.

  


“I think you know what I’ve been trying to say,  
I promised I would never leave you,  
And you should always know,  
Wherever you may go,  
No matter where you are,  
I never will be far away.”

  


He felt Magnus’ grip on him tighten for a fraction of a second when he started humming but he soon relaxed into it. And Alec kept singing, again and again, for as long as it took for Magnus to calm down. By the time the evening siren blared for the inmates to get back to their cell, Magnus had stopped crying. And when he got up and walked away without uttering a word, Alec’s hands tried to grab onto him, if only for a little while longer, but ended up closing in on the emptiness.

  


Alec sank back on to the floor and closed his eyes, his emotions all over the place and feeling utterly drained. But then the receding footsteps stopped and he heard a soft ‘Thank you’ from a distance. Before he could respond, however, Magnus walked away and shut the door behind him. There were a lot of questions Alec wanted to ask Magnus, but it can wait. Everything can wait until Magnus became alright.

  


*********************************************************

_That night, Alec dreamt of the little boy again. In his dreams, he was too afraid to fall asleep after the horror stories in summer camp and in the darkness, he was on the verge of tears when he felt the little boy climb into his bed. He told Alec about how his mother used to sing him to sleep when he gets scared and so the little boy sang,  
‘…No matter where you are,  
I never will be far away…’_

  


******************************************************** 

  


Raphael Santiago hardly ever spoke to people, neither the inmates nor the officers, not that Alec know of. Every question ended in one-word replies or a mere nod. When he was transferred to the Purgatory almost two years back, none of the prisoners knew his backstory, and he never bothered to tell anyone. But when a month later, a guard let it slip to someone, intentionally or unintentionally, that he was convicted for the attempted rape of his own little sister who died in the hospital a week later and murder of two of his friends who tried to stop him, people lost it. 

  


That day, the facility saw one of the biggest inmate fights they have ever had. More than ten of them surrounded Raphael in the open ground and thrashed him while the others kept the officers at bay. The guards were able to get the situation under control within sometime but by then Raphael was nothing more than a thoroughly bashed up piece of meat. It took them almost two months to get him back to his old self, physically.

  


Since then, no one attacked him directly, but the verbal abuse and the stray comments continued. Raphael never responded, not even lifted an eye to see who spoke ill of him. When he was not on duty, he spent his time either in the library or the prayer room inside. He always carried around a rosary and everyone assumed that after what happened, he changed and was currently on a path of redemption.

  


So when the all-elusive Santiago took an interest in Magnus when he came in and started voluntarily spending time with him, Alec became suspicious. He didn’t know whether they knew each other before coming here but he used to keep a close eye on them, well, as much as he could. 

  


The day after the library happened, Alec was passing through the dining area where he found Magnus and Raphael huddled in a corner. Alec had no idea what Magnus said but Raphael sent him a death glare and at hearing him curse under his breath, Magnus lifted his head up and looked at Alec and nodded in acknowledgment. 

  


Alec walked into his office to see Jace walking around inside, apparently waiting for him. 

  


“I saw you yesterday.” 

  


“What?”

  


“I saw you yesterday, in the library. With Bane. What are you doing Alec?” Alec could hear the accusation in his brother’s voice but it was also laced with worry and that made Alec decide to talk to him rather than fight. 

  


“I went there to talk to him. I wanted to make sure he was alright.” Alec sat in his chair and motioned Jace to sit as well.

  


“And? Did he talk?”

  


“His mother died, Jace. That’s why Ragnor came.” Alec saw his eyes widening in shock as the news sunk in.

  


“Shit… I didn’t know Alec.” Jace buried the heel of his palms in his eyes and Alec clearly understood the thoughts running through his mind. He was in the exact same situation, less than twenty-four hours ago. 

  


“No one did, Jace. But there is one more thing.”

  


“What? Did he tell something else?” Jace lifted his head and went on high alert when he saw the seriousness in Alec’s eyes.

  


“No. He didn’t. I am not sure but I don’t think he killed his father. I don’t think he did any of those things they said he did.”

  


“What are you saying, Alec?”

  


“I think he is innocent. You should have seen how he was yesterday. Someone like that… I don’t think he is capable of doing something so inhuman.”

  


“I saw the footage from the library yesterday. I deleted it, maybe Luke saw it but no one else. I know what you mean. But are you saying this just because of your history or do you really think he is not guilty?” Alec saw his brother and best friend, sitting across him, struggling to make sense of the situation, keeping his prejudices aside and trying to help rather than accusing him and he was more than grateful for having someone like that in his life.

  


“There was no history Jace. You know that.”

  


“You know what I mean.” Jace had a small glint of a smile playing across his lips and Alec felt a little calm despite the gravity of the situation.

  


“I know. And it’s not because of that. I used to tell you about those kids I helped right? All of them had this look in their eyes, completely traumatized and helpless, a desperation to get away from all the agony that they have walked through. And along with all those heartbreak, they also had this hope that someday, everything will turn around and they will find happiness. Magnus had those same eyes, even the hope, until the day Ragnor came. It’s like he gave up, completely after that.”

  


Alec felt hot tears soaking his cheeks and normally he would be ashamed of crying in front of people but if anyone could understand his tears, it would be Jace. So he let it go. 

  


“I don’t know. I think I am going crazy. I don’t even know him properly, Jace. But I do think he is innocent.”

  


“You are not crazy. I understand what you are saying. And I do trust you, Alec. Let’s do one thing. I don’t think Magnus is in any state to talk to you. He might have told you about this one thing but I don’t think he is ready to open up to you completely. I’ll talk to Izzy. Maybe she can talk to Ragnor and see what is going on. What do you think?”

  


“Yeah. We’ll do that. I need to get to the bottom of this.” Alec wiped away his tears as a new determination set in.

  


“I am here if you need to talk, alright? Don’t keep everything inside until you blow up.”

  


“Yeah, okay. Thank you, Jace.” The whole situation was fucked up, but Alec was happy.

  


“Always, brother.” 

  


******************************************************** 

  


He was so deep into the paperwork the following day that Alec almost missed the frantic knocking on the door. As soon as he opened the door, one of the guards rushed in and gave him the news of an inmate fight. Alec went back in to deploy the other guards on to the scene and was about to call Luke to inform about the situation when his phone rang, Jace’s name on the screen.

  


He barely said hello when he heard his brother’s startled voice, “It’s Magnus. You need to get to the infirmary, Right now.”

  


Alec’s blood ran cold, he stood frozen on the spot, mind completely empty except for a small voice repeatedly saying, ‘It’s Magnus…’

  


It took him a moment to collect his bearings and he ran to the hospital wing as fast as he could. His heartbeats through the roof and if not for the pure adrenaline running through his veins, Alec was sure he would have collapsed somewhere on the way. He ran through a seemingly endless maze of corridors, flinging open all the doors on the way like a madman.

  


The moment he laid eyes on the broken bloodstained body of Magnus on those pristine white sheets, Alec’s heart dropped. He would have rushed over and scooped up the man in front of him if not for Jace’s strong hand holding him back. Alec struggled against the hold but he was held in place and somewhere deep inside his mind he knew that Jace was doing the right thing but he couldn’t help the anger that was rising inside him.

  


It took everything he had for Alec to curb the urge to snap at his brother and he was slowly losing the inner turmoil when Dr. Roberts turned around and walked towards them. Jace slowly let go of him, but ready to hold him back in an instant if necessary. 

  


“There was a deep cut on the scalp. That’s where the bleeding is from. I can stitch it up but I need to get a scan to make sure he has no concussions.” Maia informed them.

  


“Then what are you waiting for? Get it done.” Alec was almost growling and he would have snapped but Jace’s hand on his back grounded him.

  


“Don’t you dare take that tone with me, Lightwood. To you, they might be ruthless criminals and murderers and you might treat them the same way. But for me, they are my patients and I know what’s best for them. Don’t you dare barge in here and order me around.” She tampered down her irritation and walked away to her cabin to get the things needed for patching Magnus up.

  


“Alec, he is fine. But you need to get it together, man.”

  


Alec chose not to reply and walked towards the bed. He sat on the chair next to Magnus, his hands covered in blood, the bandage covering his head soaked red, the slow rise and fall of his chest and the continuous beep of the monitor the only proof than he was in fact alive. Alec could feel his resolve crumbling but as Jace said, he should get it together. Him being an emotional wreck right now will not help Magnus.

  


He turned around and saw Jace standing in the corner who had thankfully sent all the other guards back to their duties rather than let them stay and watch Alec losing it. 

  


“Any idea who did it?” He enquired.

  


“No. Raphael found him in the showers like this when he went to search because Magnus was taking too long to come back. Half of them were in the ground and Raj and Underhill are asking around right now about others’ whereabouts. I’ll let you know as soon as they are accounted for.”

  


“Were there any weapons or anything lying around?” 

  


“Nothing. That is what is confusing. Until we have clear evidence, we won’t know if someone did it or he accidentally fell down.”

  


“Oh... Where is Raphael?”

  


“He was here when we brought him in but I sent him back before calling you. I didn’t know how much he knows about you and Magnus.” Jace sounded unsure and he was fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

  


“I think Magnus told him about what happened in the library. Call him. Let him be here until the last siren. I don’t want to leave him alone if someone is actually behind him.” Jace nodded in understanding and walked out to do the same while Alec turned around to Magnus.  
  
He lifted Magnus’ bloodstained hand and pressed his lips on to it, tears threatening to fall.

“Stay with me, Magnus. You promised.” 

Alec blinked away his tears and rushed out of the room before he lost it completely. He wanted to apologize to Maia for how he behaved earlier but that has to wait, for now. The salty tinge of his own tears and the metallic taste of blood on his lips made him want to throw his guts out. 

  


Behind him, Maia stared at the retreating back of Alec Lightwood and instead of feeling angry at his outburst earlier, she felt pity for the man. Having witnessed the exchange in the infirmary, she realized there was so much more hidden behind the calm façade she was used to. She walked inside to do her work, understanding that the anger was not directed at her. And despite the broken state he is in, she felt happy for Magnus, he finally has someone to look after him.

  


As the day neared an end, Alec decided to go to the hospital wing. If he can reach before the siren, maybe he can get hold of Raphael and have a talk with him. How much ever he tried to convince himself that that was the only reason behind the visit, deep inside, he knew that he didn’t want Magnus to be alone, not even for a second. 

  


Maia had called him up earlier to inform that Magnus woke up and the scans showed up clean. He had said it was an accident at the shower stall when he slipped and fell hitting his head on the corner of a nearby sink. Alec had breathed a sigh of relief when he got a clear picture and realized that Magnus was not in any real danger. The only reason he didn’t rush to be by his side was the fact that he was in a meeting with Luke. If he was early enough, he might even get to apologize to Maia for basically being a dick earlier.

  


He was just outside Magnus’s door when he heard muffled shouts coming from inside the room. His first instinct was to burst in and apprehend whoever that was causing a fuss but he stopped himself when he recognized Raphael’s distinct accent. 

  


“What the hell is wrong with you Magnus? You do realize this is serious, don’t you?”

  


“I know how fucking serious it is.”

  


“Then why are you not doing anything about it? Why do you have to lie that it was a stupid accident?”

  


What? Lying? Alec moved a little closer to the door. He knows he shouldn’t be sneaking around and listening to conversations that he clearly was not invited to but the desperation in Raphael’s voice held him in place. Looks like Magnus is being an idiot, it won’t be the first time. 

  


“Because I have to. What proof do you have to show otherwise? If I keep my mouth shut, then they might stop coming after me.”

  


“Might. They might Magnus. But you damn well know they won’t stop.”

  


“Raph… I cannot prove anything. Not the first time. Not now. Not ever. They know how to play their cards. And they clearly know how to keep me from talking.”

  


“But you can’t just let this go, Magnus. You almost bled to death today. And you would have if I hadn’t reached there in time.”

  


“What are you expecting me to do Raph? I couldn’t prove that I didn’t kill my father or Meliorn or Clary even when it happened right under my nose and with all my resources. How am I supposed to prove that they tried to kill me at their home ground?”

  


“We all are here for things we didn’t do Magnus. We were all played. And we were dumped here for eternity. But no one is actively trying to kill us. You need to talk to Ragnor.”

  


“I’ll think about.” Magnus sounded defeated.

  


The conversation reached a standstill and for a long time, no sound came from inside. Alec was about to walk away when he heard a chair scraping from inside and quick heavy footsteps coming towards him. He almost had time to scramble himself from next to the door and hide in the shadows before Raphael opened the door. A silver of light fell into the darkened corridor and he paused at the entrance and muttered without looking back, “Don’t get yourself killed, Bane” and walked away. A dry chuckle was heard from behind the closed doors. 

  


Alec let out a shaky breath that he was holding in, fear trickling down his spine. His mind was fucked with all the things he heard. If he had any doubt about Magnus actually committing the crime, it was all gone now. Not only was Magnus innocent, as was the majority of the inmates if Raphael’s words are to be trusted. And there was someone dead set on killing Magnus, probably the same people who put him in prison. 

  


It took Alec an embarrassingly long time to get over the shock and actually make himself move from his hiding place. He needed answers, a lot of them. He needed to talk to Magnus, but it might be a dead-end because Magnus sounded pretty determined earlier about keeping his mouth shut. Something huge is at stake for Magnus, he is not the kind of person who is afraid of simple threats.

  


He needs to talk to Raphael, apparently, he seems to know much more about the facility than Alec does. And here he was thinking every single one of them deserves what they got. It looks like there is a bigger play going on behind the screens. Raphael might not be so inclined to the idea of helping Alec out but he had a feeling that he would, if only to save Magnus. 

  


He needs to talk to Jace. His brother is the only person he trusts right now with something this big. And if he wants to do something about all this mess, he definitely needs Jace’s help.

  


But first, he needs to see the security footage. He needs to find out who hurt Magnus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is Lulllabye(Goodnight, My Angel) by Billy Joel.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysteries are unraveling slowly but new questions are coming up and Alec is more confused than ever.

Jace finished his nightly patrol which included a trip to the infirmary to make sure Magnus was comfortable, he might not trust the guy completely but he trusted his brother and he would do anything for Alec. On the way back he refilled his coffee to stay awake for the night, nothing much was expected to happen but it didn’t harm to be a little cautious. Jace stopped in his tracks when he saw lights still on in Alec’s office, the muffled sounds from inside said that he was still working.

Alec kept replaying the footage for what felt like a hundredth time that night. But nothing other than an empty corridor was to be seen between the time when Magnus went in and Raphael came searching for him an hour later. No one entered or left the shower stalls in that time block. But if that’s true, then Magnus and Raphael would be lying but then they had no reason to when they didn’t know Alec was listening in.

He was slowly losing his mind by the time Jace came in.

“What are you still doing here?”

“Hey, Jace. I was waiting for you. Sit. We need to talk.”

Jace sat opposite to him and sipped his coffee as Alec filled him in about what he overheard earlier. It was probably his police training and his experience in dealing with hardcore criminals that kept Jace from totally freaking out. Once he was all caught up, they both went through the tapes repeatedly and still neither of them could find a clue. 

“Alec, go home. It’s late. We’ll talk about this tomorrow. Your brain is so fried right now. There is no point sitting in front of this anymore.”

“Something is wrong Jace. I just- I have to do something. Anything.” Even as he spoke, Alec could feel the exhaustion seeping in, maybe another cup of coffee will help. 

“I know. But you sitting here in this state for a whole night will change nothing. You can barely keep your eyes open. The footage will still be here tomorrow. We will go through it again and we will get to the bottom of this. I promise, Alec. Go home for now. Sleep.”

There was so much tenderness in Jace’s voice that Alec was forced to look up to his brother from where he was still sitting in his chair. Jace had gotten up from his place and was standing next to him, his face etched with worry in seeing his brother suffer. Alec had tears brimming in his bloodshot eyes and Jace took a steadying breath to calm himself down before scooping up his best friend in a crushing hug. Alec immediately collapsed in his hands, his hands coming around Jace, his tears soaking through Jace’s shirt. 

“I miss him, Jace. So much. It hurts” Alec muttered in between heaving sobs. He barely let himself be in such a vulnerable position in front of anyone but if he held in it any longer, along with the stress of whatever mystery that he was caught up in, he was sure to lose whatever shreds of sanity he had.

“Oh, Alec…” Jace felt himself breaking into a thousand pieces. His brother and best friend, the one person he looked up to since the Lightwoods adopted him when he was four. Alec, who would jump from the tallest tower to the deepest tavern without blinking an eye if it meant saving his siblings. Alec, who deserves every bit of happiness and love in this world for the biggest heart he keeps hidden behind the tough exterior. The same Alec who lives every single day pretending to wear a smile than confess to the world that his heart is in a million little pieces from losing someone that wasn’t even his.

If there was anything that Jace was sure of at that precise moment, it was that he would go to any extreme to make sure that Alec would never cry again. 

Jace took his phone from his back pocket and called Max. A thought had been nagging in his mind for quite some time.

“Hey, buddy... How are you?” Max was clearly asleep when the call came through and when he felt Alec shifting in his hands and lifted a questioning eyebrow at him, Jace took the phone and switched on the speaker.

“It’s freaking 3 am Jace. I have class tomorrow.” His voice was muffled from digging his face into the pillows.

“We need some help, Max.”

“We? Is Alec with you? What is wrong?” Max replied instantly, his sleep vanished in an instant and on high alert.

“I need you to look at this CCTV footage that I am about to send you. We want to know if it’s been tampered with.” From the periphery of his eye, Jace saw Alec sit up straight and wipe his tears, Jace’s hand on his shoulder still in place. If Max can’t find anything, he doesn’t know what else to do. But for now, he put all of his hopes in Max. 

“I’ll look into it. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

“Okay. I am sending it now. Bye Max.”

“Bye Jace, Alec.”

“Bye,” Alec whispered from behind, there was a small bit of hope sprouting in his heart. 

Jace wasted no time in sending the footage to Max. Both of them knew Alec was not going back home anytime, at least not until Max called back, so Jace settled himself on the couch in Alec’s office. He looked through the video feed on his laptop and made sure that nothing was out of place in the facility, not forgetting about the infirmary where Jace saw Magnus sleeping peacefully.

It took barely an hour for Max to return the call. 

“The first person who went into the stall was Magnus Bane, right?”

Alec looked across at Jace, an unspoken question in his eyes. Jace decided to take charge in his stead.

“Yeah. It is. The second one is Raphael, another inmate. Magnus was found on the floor, bleeding with a head injury when Raphael found him. He said he slipped and fell, but Alec- But we think it was an attack.”

“It was not an accident. The video is tampered with, alright? Someone erased the footage between that time and added a pre-recorded loop for that time frame. There is a clear glitch.”

“Can you get the original from that?” Alec was on the edge of his seat.

“Not from this, but if you get me the hard drive, I think I can extract the deleted parts. How soon can you get it here?”

“Gates doesn’t open for another five days,” Jace said, going through the calendar on Alec’s table.

“We can’t wait that long, Jace. If they are actually planning to kill him, then there is a good chance that they are going to try again when they realize that the injury was not serious.” Alec felt a shiver running through him at the mere memory of a beaten up Magnus in the hospital bed.

“Wait. Someone is trying to kill him? Why?”

“We don’t know Max. But there is a bigger play here. From what we know so far, this place is more of a cover-up job than a supermax prison.”

“Cover-up for what? Alec, you are not making any sense right now.” Alec heard the impatience in his voice and he wished he could find answers for his brother but even he was in the dark right now. All he had was bits and pieces of a conversation and nothing else.

“We don’t know Max. That’s why we need your help. And Izzy’s. Right now we don’t have anything else to go on other than this video clip. All we know is that Magnus is innocent and someone is trying to kill him, probably the same people who killed his father. And it looks like not everyone in this place is as guilty as we thought.” Alec confided in all the details he knows so far so that Max is on the same page as them.

“Also, you need to talk to Izzy. As soon as possible. Fill her in and ask her to meet Ragnor Fell, Magnus’ lawyer. Something is stopping him from talking, but Ragnor might talk. Ask her to tell him Magnus’ life is at risk.” Jace concluded for Alec.

“Okay. You try to get me that hard drive at the earliest. I can go with Izzy tomorrow itself.”

“Next break is on Sunday. We’ll meet outside. But I need to come back, Magnus will be alone here.” Alec had begun his anxious pacing while his mind ran in all directions. Now that he had something to work on, he tried to stomp down the feeling of uselessness climbing up inside him.

By the time they finished talking with Max, the sun had already come up. The sky had turned a mixed shade of orange and pink at the horizon, golden rays peeking in through the high windows. Alec was on the verge of collapsing from bone-deep weariness but he had another day shift to push through. He decided to take a trip home to take a shower and get changed before coming back. Jace seems to have caught on to his plan because as soon as Alec got up to leave, he was pushed back to his seat.

“You are going to go home, have some food, take a shower and sleep. For the whole day. If I see you anywhere near the office today, I’ll knock you out myself. Magnus has no use of you sleepwalking.” Jace was practically threatening him but Alec heard the concern hidden behind the words. 

“But…”

“No buts. There is nothing we can do right now. I’ll send the hard drive to Max with the grocery truck. Izzy will go meet Ragnor. Maia and I will keep an eye on Magnus and you are going to sleep.” Jace finished, leaving no room for argument. And it made sense. Something this huge needs Alec on high alert, not a sleep-deprived exhausted version of him. 

_‘And so Alec went back home, took a shower and fell asleep hoping to dream of a boy with the beautiful brown eyes. The eyes that reminded him of the freshly turned earth after the rain. The brown eyes that reminded him of sunlight through a bottle of whiskey and honey and hot chocolate and cinnamon and hazelnut and tea and coffee and chocolate brownies and fallen leaves in autumn. The eyes that made him feel like coming inside from a frozen winter stroll and wrapping himself in the warmest of the blankets. Comforting embers that reminded him of everything home.’_

Alec took his well-deserved rest for a whole day, he woke up in the evening to check upon Jace and Magnus and he decided to stay back once he made sure that they were alright. Max had texted to let him know that he started working on the video footage and so he waited patiently knowing that there is nothing else he could do at the moment.

The next day, Alec was early to the office and the first thing he did was to visit Magnus. He didn’t think Magnus would talk but it wouldn’t hurt to take a chance. And as expected, Magnus kept quiet.

“It was a stupid accident. I was not paying clear attention and there might have been some soap on the floor. I remember hitting my head while falling and then I woke up here.” Magnus finished with a smile and even if Alec hadn’t heard him talking to Raphael, it wasn’t much difficult to figure out he was lying. After all, there was a time when they spent every waking moment together to get to know each other.

So he just smiled and asked him to be more careful and walked away. 

Once out of the room, he went straight to Maia, the apology was way overdue.

“Morning Alec.” Maia greeted him with a kind smile as soon as he entered and if anything, it only made Alec feel guiltier. He was a perfect ass earlier and instead of apologizing, he went missing for a whole day and still she welcomed with an affection which he very well knew he didn’t deserve.

“Morning. About that day, I am…” Alec started and was soon stopped by her raised hand.

“You don’t have to apologize Alec. I don’t really know what is going on here but one thing I am sure of is that you care for Magnus. I don’t know why and I don’t want to. But I am happy that there is someone in here to look after him. I know enough to understand that your anger was more towards the situation than me. He has a weird way of attracting one too many accidents.”

Alec could feel him go wide-eyed at Maia’s words as he tried to make sense of it and it was then that the words clearly registered. Too many accidents?

“What do you mean too many? Has this happened before?” He felt his heart pounding away as his wayward thoughts went into a frenzy.

“Not too often, but Magnus comes occasionally with a sprained ankle or a mild food poisoning or something like that. What’s wrong Alec?” She might have seen the panic in his face.

Alec did not want to share his thoughts with too many people because he still doesn’t know whom to trust. But this is not an odd incident, Magnus had been attacked before and if he wants to do something about it, he needs help. And for the short time he had known Maia, she had been nothing but loyal and kind. 

“I need you to listen carefully to what I am about to say and you have to promise me you won’t talk about any of this to anyone except me and Jace. Can I trust you?” Alec could hear his vulnerability seeping into his words and he desperately wished Maia would say yes.

“Those were not random accidents, were they?” 

“No.”

“Is his life in danger?”

“Yes.”

“What do you need?” The determination and the flash of anger in her eyes were enough for Alec to believe how fiercely protective she was. 

“Someone wanted to get rid of Magnus and they framed him for those murders. We don’t know the real reason but they are trying to finish him off for good. There is something else at stake for Magnus so he won’t talk. We are trying to get all the details but he is not safe here. Whoever they are, they will try again. We need you to keep an eye on him. Jace and I will arrange our shifts so that one of us will always be here. No one except the guards can enter the hospital wing right?”

“No. But what if-”

“-the guards are involved? I know. It’s definitely one of the possibilities. But for now, we can’t do anything about that without causing suspicion. That’s why we need your help.” 

“Okay. Who all knows about this? You said we.”

“Me, Jace and my brother and sister. Izzy is a law student and she is trying to get in contact with Magnus’ lawyer. Someone tampered with the CCTV footage outside the shower stall. Max, my brother, is trying to retrieve the wiped data. I overheard Raphael talking to Magnus the other day that many of the inmates are in here for crimes they did not commit. This is bigger than all of us, Maia. I am scared but I have to save Magnus. And I need your help.”

“You can trust me. Anything you need, I am here. I promise you.”

“Thank you. I should get back. I’ll tell others about you and is it okay if any of them tries to contact you? It will be helpful to keep everyone in the loop.”

“Anytime, Alec.” 

Alec took his phone to send Maia’s contact to everyone. He thought of creating a group but then he didn’t know how far the links went in this conspiracy. If they are powerful enough to do this, then it will be a child’s play to hack their phones. The next time he goes out, he has to get some burner phones. Until then, this has to suffice.

“Hey, you said someone edited the video. Who all has authorization to the footage?” Maia looked deep in thoughts when Alec looked up from his phone.

“Only warden and deputies have full access here. So Me, Jace, Underhill, and Luke. That’s all.”

“No one else can access the data?”

“I mean we have the video in our office and laptops, so anyone can see it but we need passcodes to access the data. What is it?” Alec could see the wheels turning inside her head. She took a slow breath and it looked like she was debating whether to ask or not and after a moment or two, there was a flash of earlier determination and she shook her head and asked.

“Did you know Clary is Luke’s stepdaughter?”

If he was being honest, Alec was confused at first, he did not know where she was heading with this particular information. Maia waited patiently for Alec to make the connections and as soon as he realized what the earlier question meant, Alec felt the world closing in on him.

Luke was one of the most honest human beings Alec had ever had the pleasure to meet. Working under him, Alec always felt comfortable and worthwhile and he was rewarded with honesty and trust. On more than one occasion, Luke had said both in words and through actions, how much he believed Alec and Jace to be capable of handling the facility on their own. He had given them free rein and never even asked for an explanation for their actions. 

But if Luke did not know that Magnus was innocent, he couldn’t blame him for acting like a good father that he is. Anyone in their right mind will be angry at the person who hurt their children. But in all of their time together, Luke never struck him as a person who would get revenge in this manner, Magnus was already getting punished. And if it was him in fact, then who framed Magnus in the first place? Alec was losing all semblance of control by the minute and if it wasn’t for Maia repeatedly calling his name, Alec would have sat there for an eternity, struggling to make sense of his thoughts. 

“Can you get into Luke’s office?”

“Do you really think he did it, Maia?” Alec was grasping on to straws, he knew that. But the alternative was painful to think about.

“I don’t want to think anything. That is why I am asking whether you can get into his office or not.”

“Why?”

“Listen Alec, I don’t want to believe that Luke would do something like this any more than you do. And I refuse to believe it until I get enough proof. But like you said, this is bigger than all of us. Before doing anything reckless, we need to know who is on our side and who is not. Get into his office, go through his files. If he is smart enough, he won’t have any incriminating evidence here but it doesn’t hurt to look. Moreover, the gates haven’t opened after the attack. So if there is anything, it will be here inside these walls.”

Alec sat up straight, already thinking of ways to get in. 

“He is not in today. Go and look through the files. And don’t lose hope. Magnus will be safe here.”

“Thank you so much, Maia. I’ll let you know as soon as I get something.”

Alec urgently made his way to Luke’s office. On the way, he called and informed Jace about the new information and asked him to get in touch with Maia. He offered to come with Alec but he needed someone on the lookout. Luke might be at home but there are a whole lot of people out there. For now, he can do his search in peace knowing that Maia will take care of Magnus and Jace will be watching over him.

He reached the main office entrance and looked around to make sure that he was not followed and he pretended to go into his office next door and waited for a few moments to make sure the corridor was absolutely empty. He could hear his heart pounding loud in his ears and his palms were getting sweaty in anticipation. With a last cautious glance around, he silently sneaked into Luke’s office with the key he was given for emergencies. He felt the absolute worst at breaking the trust but for Magnus, there is little in the world that he wouldn’t do.

Nothing seemed out of place and Alec didn’t know what he was expecting to be honest. It’s not like the office was a crime scene or anything. Slowly but surely, he continued his search. Every book and every piece of paper looked at, every drawer pulled open, Alec spent almost an hour and some in the office. He was sure that the office was clean when he felt a false bottom for the last drawer in Luke’s table. He carefully removed the books and gently picked up the bottom.

There were a few unnamed manila folders hidden in the compartment and Alec got them out on to the table. He opened the first one only to feel his heart skip a beat seeing Magnus’ mugshot stare right back at him. With trembling hands, he went through the whole file which described his case in full detail with a whole lot of post-its and scribbled notes in Luke’s handwriting along the sides, every single page color-coded. He kept it aside to see that the next file was Raphael’s, filled with notes just like Magnus’.

He did not have any idea as to what the hell was going on, every single step they take is opening up to a hundred other possibilities. A feeling of impending doom was eating him up from inside and he closed his eyes for a moment to take a breath. It was all too much to take in. 

_‘A happy memory, a beautiful day at the beach, walking hand in hand with his favorite person, his laugh echoing in Alec’s ears.’_

Alec opened his eyes, a sense of peace blanketing him. Magnus. Magnus needs him. And he will be there for him this time.

Alec did not want to disrupt the table and cause any doubts so he took out his phone and took pictures of every single page of every file in the hidden compartment. Once he was done, he kept everything back where he found them along with the false bottom. He got up to leave and at the door, he turned and looked around to make sure that nothing was misplaced. He locked the door and walked into his office.

As soon as he got in, Alec was about to call Jace and ask him to meet in the infirmary so that he can share it with Maia together but then the moment he took the phone, he got a text from Max.

Alec opened the message and downloaded what looked like a blurred screenshot from the video footage. He looked closely and it took him some time because of the reduced clarity but once his eyes adjusted, Raj’s face was seen clear as day on his screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If you expect me to say that I am innocent, then sorry to disappoint you, I am not. I did kill both of them. So there’s that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. This chapter turned out to be much bigger than the previous ones and took too long to finish, work is eating up all my time. I really hope you enjoy this one.

Luke was thorough in his research and pretty well organized. All the details were written in his crisp and clean handwriting in multiple color notes and stuck at different places, every single page decorated with scribbles and annotations on their side. But even after pondering over the case files for hours, the only thing the three of them could find was that their warden was meticulous in his work and that he is pretty invested in Magnus’ and Raphael’s case. 

Not many details regarding Raphael’s claims of them being innocent were to be found in the files. Alec and Jace took turns in seeing Maia in her office where they had set up a temporary meeting place to not raise any suspicions. Maia also found excuses to keep Magnus in the infirmary to keep an eye on him. They couldn’t risk sending him back to the cell now that they know Raj was the one who attacked him. Alec had a real hard time pretending to be okay in front of everyone, struggling to not punch him in the face. 

They all tried talking to Magnus but whatever that was holding him back is pretty strong and none of their reasoning was enough to change his mind. So they focused on getting the details out of the files which was proving to be difficult than they had predicted. Meanwhile, Izzy and Max had arranged a meeting with Ragnor but he refused to talk unless Alec was present so now all they can do was wait for the day they can go out. 

Alec had been growing restless as the days went by. His mind was a garbled mess with all sorts of confused feelings. He wanted to persuade Magnus to somehow make him agree to co-operate with them but at the same time, he didn’t want to overstep his boundaries and make him retreat into his shell more. He had wanted to confront Luke about the files but doing it without sufficient proof would do more damage than good as Maia had warned him. All they had was an edited video clip and some research files, nothing incriminatory. 

The day before the visitor’s day, Alec was too nervous to go back home, his anxiety off the charts. The prospect of meeting Ragnor is not so terrifying per se but he is scared of what secrets were going to be revealed the next day. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to stay still in the room, instead of going back after his shift, Alec chose to visit Maia. Both her and Jace was on duty for tonight, maybe they could get together and rack their brains one more time. They had made hard copies of the files and Maia kept it in her locker so that nothing got into the wrong hands.

He looked through the glass panel on the door to see Magnus lying down and reading something, his wound dressing much smaller than the one which covered his whole head on the first day.

To his surprise, Jace was already in Maia’s office, apparently sneaking a visit during his patrol. The files were all taken out and arranged on the table which was cleared of everything else, two cups of coffee on the sides and Raj’s face on her laptop screen. The scene has become too familiar, having spent the past three to four days in more or less the same way. Alec grabbed another cup of coffee for himself and settled in a chair next to them, getting hold of another file.

“Then why is he trying to kill him now? All of a sudden?” Alec argued despite the growing exhaustion.

They have been having this for and against arguments since they started working on the case. Three of them took turns in defending and arguing over who did what and why whenever they got together. It helped in voicing all of their thoughts and doubts and in a way, it made them feel like they were doing something. Sitting cooped up in a place with no clue about what next wasn’t doing any good, hence the mock trials.

“But Magnus had had accidents or mishaps like this before. Maybe he was trying before?” Maia retorted.

“Nothing too serious though. We can’t call a sprained ankle a murder attempt.” Jace joined in.

“But we have all these files. We know Luke has been keeping an eye on him. Why else would he have all these details on his case?” 

“It’s not just Magnus. He has a few other cases too. No one else is injured.” Maia attempted to reason with him, Alec was getting irked by the moment.

“Because Magnus was the one who tried to murder Clary.” He stated with an exasperated sigh. They have been going round and round with the same arguments since forever.

“So your next logical conclusion is that I tried to kill Magnus because of that?” 

Later when they retold the story, Jace would deny with all he has that he did not fall down from the chair soaking himself in an almost full cup of coffee and made a huge fool of himself. But for now, that’s exactly what happened. Accompanied by a huge yelp from Alec and not so dignified squeak from Maia.

All three of them scrambled to their feet and stood up, trying their best to hide the table and the screen behind them, quivering in front of the stern gaze of their superior. It’s one thing to confront Luke with the evidence when they have the advantage but being caught off guard while actively discussing his role in a murder mystery with nothing but assumptions backing them was scary. 

Alec’s mind was racing through excuses to defend their behavior but what reason can he say for breaking into his superior’s office and stealing his personal files that wouldn’t make him look guilty? Luke stayed quiet waiting for them to speak up, his eyes looking over all of them and they trembled like kids caught with their hands in a cookie jar, neither of them brave enough to look up and face him. 

Seeing as none of them wanted to offer an explanation, Luke took matters into his own hands. “Anything you have to say? Or should I report all of you for this?”

“No, sir…” Alec all but screamed.

“Then talk.” 

Alec looked at his friends, he did not want to throw them under the bus for what might have been his stupid idea, which now when he thought about, has no sensible reasoning behind. So if someone’s to take the blame, it is going to be him. 

“When Magnus was attacked, we found out that the CCTV footage was edited and only four of us have the authorization to access the data and then we came to know that Clary was your stepdaughter, we had a suspicion.” Alec answered, head down and not brave enough to face Luke.

“What were you thinking when you broke into my office and basically stole my files? Did it ever occur to anyone of you to come and talk to me first?” Luke's angry voice echoed in the room causing all three of them to jerk back.

“I… I thought we might find some proof before talking to you.” Alec replied slowly, not wanting to anger him any more.

“And? Where is your proof?” Luke snapped back at him.

“We couldn’t find anything. We did some research bu…” Maia started to explain but was cut in by Luke, anger pouring out of him in waves.

“Your research? What else did you find in your research? Did you also find out that I practically raised Magnus since he was sixteen? And that he is essentially Clary’s brother? Or did you find out that Magnus is the only person I trust her life with?”

It took everything to not let their jaws drop to the floor as Luke finished his angry tirade. 

Alec felt the ground beneath him disappearing. Luke raised Magnus? Why didn’t Magnus say anything to him? Why did he have to keep it a secret when they were basically joined at the hip all those years? Alec’s thoughts ran wild before it caught on to a specific detail. Since he was sixteen… Since Alec lost Magnus. And all the guilt and the pain and the heartache and the grief that he bottled up for the past eleven years came crashing down on to him and a quiet sob escaped his lips. When Jace moved a little closer and kept a hand on his lower back, Alec realized that not only did he hear him but caught on to what he was thinking and wanted to be there for him. Alec closed his eyes and ground himself at the touch.

"Listen, Magnus is my son in every way that matters and I raised him as my own and it pains me more than you could even imagine seeing him suffer behind these bars. And to know that the reason why he is here, is because he tried to kill his own sister? I lost both of my kids that day. Doctors have no clue when or even if Clary will ever wake up. Magnus refuses to talk to me, I've tried, so many times that I have lost count over the year. He either avoids me completely or on the rare occasions that I was able to catch up with him, he walks away after saying that he was sorry for everything with guilt written all over his face. I just... It is so difficult like this.I wish...I wish I knew if it was because of me." Luke came forward and collapsed into a chair next to them, closing his eyes like he was trying to get rid of a headache.

"Because of you? What do you mean because of you?" Jace blurted out with a raised eyebrow.

Luke took a calming breath and sat back before asking, "What do you know about this place? What did you find out about the facility?"

Alec shared a glance with others, a tad doubtful whether including Raphael was a good idea or not.

"Nothing much."  
He answered cautiously.

Luke raised an eyebrow, and even though it was clear to Alec that Luke didn't believe what he said, luckily he chose not to persuade them.

"This place is nicknamed 'The Purgatory' because that is the apt word to describe this hellhole. All these people here, the prisoners, are sent here to suffer for the sins. Except they are here not because of theirs, but the sins of those who dumped them here. Whoever built this place, it was a burial ground for their secrets.Before Magnus came in here, I had looked around for sometime hoping to find something. So initially I thought maybe this was my punishment." Luke explained to them.

"Raphael said the same. That most of the people here, they are here for the crimes they haven't committed." Maia took a seat and joined in the conversation.

"Raphael? He told you? He never talks to anyone." 

"He didn't. I overheard him talking to Magnus." Alec did not want to sell out the guy even if he didn’t know him.

"When?" Luke inquired, his brows furrowing in confusion.

“After the attack, he was visiting Magnus to tell him to not chalk it off as an accident and actually report it," Alec replied, standing back, leaning on the table for support.

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's when we realized it was not an accident and decided to look into it." Now that they knew Luke was on their side, everyone relaxed and started taking part in the conversation.

"That makes sense actually." Luke nodded in agreement.

"Why?" Jace asked before he could help himself.

"Raphael worked at the hospital as a doctor where Magnus' mom was. He might have known Magnus and if my assumptions are right, he too is innocent. And they could have talked and bonded over it. I just wish Magnus would talk to me." Luke replied with a defeated sigh.

"He won't. He is scared of them." Maia said from where she was sitting, going over Raphael’s file.

"That's why we are meeting his lawyer tomorrow. Me and Jace." Alec filled in.

"Ragnor is willing to talk to you? Whenever I met up with him, he always gave me the same excuse. Magnus told him not to work on the case and not to talk to me.” 

Jace turned to look Alec asking for silent permission before saying, “We might have told him Magnus’ life was in danger and that if he doesn’t talk, then we won’t be able to stop the attack next time.” 

“It’s a little harsh, but we had to, you know?” Alec defended their action even though he knew it was not fair.

“No, I understand. Magnus is being stubborn and he might be willing to die to protect whatever secret he has but I am not ready to let him throw away his life. So yeah, whatever this is you are planning, count me in.” Luke fixed them with a determined stare, waiting for any disagreement. 

“I think we should talk to Raphael. Did you find anything to prove that he is not guilty?” Maia looked up from the file and questioned.

“No. All their evidence is rock solid. And the fact that everyone pled guilty stopped the authorities from digging into the cases and they were prosecuted with whatever evidences were presented.” Luke replied and fell silent for a moment before asking, “When are you guys leaving tomorrow? Maybe we can talk with Raphael now?”

Alec was about to say yes, he is not going to sleep well anyway, but Jace stood up, getting ready to leave. “You guys continue. I have to leave. Underhill might come looking for me. I am already late in reporting after the first patrol. You can fill me in later.”

Luke and Maia nodded in approval and as soon as he reached the door, Maia called him back. “Jace, tell the guard to get Raphael here. He comes in around this time for his insulin shot.” He agreed and went ahead to resume his duty.

Once Jace left, Maia and Luke settled down and started going through all their information, both of them crosschecking what they know and filling in the missing information while they waited for Raphael. Alec took his coffee back and sat down, their voices slowly blurring in the background as his thoughts took a front seat. His mind wandering to the man sleeping next door.

He wondered how Magnus would react if he knew what they were doing behind his back. Alec wanted nothing more than to gather his best friend and tell him that everything is going to be okay and he doesn’t have to be scared anymore. But whatever they had on him, whatever that made him shut everyone out and suffer in silence, Alec hoped Raphael had some answers. 

As Raphael walked in, he frowned in confusion to see an unexpected audience for his shot. But because the guard stayed back, everyone seemed hesitant to talk so he decided to leave it at that. Alec and Luke pretended to go over the files while Maia started on her work. She took her sweet time while Alec could practically see the cogs turning in her head as she was trying to find a reason to keep Raphael there.

As soon as he was done with the injection, Raphael got up to leave but was pushed back into his seat by Maia who was sharing anxious glances with the others. Alec looked and felt like he was about to get sick and he tried to avoid meeting Raphael’s gaze at any cost while Raphael stared at them from where he was seated across, his gaze more than a little intimidating. Luckily, he agreed without much objection and sat back.

“I need to check your blood pressure once. I wanted to make sure it is normal since it was a little high yesterday.” Maia was trying hard to not let her worry ooze into her voice and she stood facing Raphael, her back to the guard so that he wouldn’t see her trying to convince the doctor to agree. If he was not before, Raphael looked completely bewildered by now because he knows for sure that no one checked his blood pressure yesterday and there was nothing wrong with it. But he was curious now, whatever they had in mind, they needed him here. If it’s a planned ambush, well, he only has to wait for some time, doesn’t he?  
“Okay.” He agreed and extended his hand to Maia.

He kept looking at the officers on the other side of the room, the pressure from the cuff steadily rising on his arm. Alec still avoided his eyes, trying to look anywhere but him, and Luke was not much better either. Although the older man looked more like he was lost in his own thoughts.

“I think I need to keep you under observation for today. It’s still high. Since you are not on any medication, I can’t let you go back to the cell tonight.” Maia said while loosening the cuff, begging him with her eyes to play along. She then turned back to Luke and asked a little louder so that the guard is aware of what they were talking about. “Sir, I need your permission to keep Raphael here overnight. Under observation.”

“Are you sure?” Luke asked trying not to look eager in holding back an inmate.

“Yeah. It will be better to keep an eye and monitor than waiting for something to happen in the cell.” 

“Yeah. Okay.” He turned to the guard and said, “You can leave then. I’ll fill up the paperwork since I am already here.”

“Okay, sir.”  
There was a brief tense silence that filled the room since the moment the guard turned away and they all waited holding their breath until he walked around the corner, a silence Alec very well knew was just a calm before the storm.

“What the hell is going on here?” Raphael asked as soon he was out of the earshot, breaking the silence.

Alec hesitated for a moment for anyone else to start talking but Luke and Maia looked as uncomfortable as him, not knowing where to start. So he just turned around played the video on Maia’s laptop and placed it in a way so that Raphael can see it. He focussed on Raphael to look for any change in his usually stoic face. And he could pinpoint the exact moment when Raphael saw Raj walking out of the stall by the flash of unadulterated anger on his face. Along with what he heard him say to Magnus before, Alec realized it was easier to make him talk. A small voice from inside his head chided him for going against Magnus’ wishes and he prayed with his dear heart that once everything gets over, Magnus will have it in him to forgive Alec. If not, well, at least Magnus would be alive.

“That bastard,” Raphael grunted out, his palm curled up into fists, trying not to hit anything or anyone.

“Yes, that bastard. What we want to know is that who is that bastard working for. Don’t try to say that you don’t know because Magnus might not be talking to us, but he talks to you and he listens to you. You don’t want him to end up dead, I assume?” Luke spoke up and Alec realized by the look on his face that he had reached the same conclusion as Alec did.

“What are you planning to do?” Raphael questioned back with the same air of authority.

“Anything. Anything to keep him alive.” Alec’s voice was low but he was determined nevertheless. And he wanted Raphael to see that everyone in this room cared for Magnus.

“That’s all?

Alec briefly looked at Luke, wordlessly asking if he had the approval to go ahead and he nodded in return.

Alec took a breath and started, if they want people to be honest with them, they have to extend the same courtesy. “Also, we know that this place is not the pretty picture painted for the world to see. So if there is anything you know that can help bring this place down, we are more than willing to shut this down for good.”

Alec saw a flicker of interest in Raphael’s eyes and it spurred him to be completely honest with the guy. If he can persuade him, then they have something to look forward to. With him working by their side, maybe so much more could be uncovered and if they can shut it down in the process, no harm done.

“I heard you talking to Magnus that day. That you were innocent and as is most of the people here. We don’t know who is so hell-bent on keeping you all here but if you can tell us, maybe we can help. Please think about it.” Alec hoped Raphael would realize how sincere he is being.

Raphael seemed to take in the information pretty well for someone who just heard about a plan to overthrow someone so powerful that they managed to get through the cracks of the system and bully all these people, bending them against their will. He appeared to have lost in thoughts as his eyes stayed focused on the screen where the video was still playing.

Alec, Luke, and Maia waited patiently, giving him enough time to think. The scary outcome that Raphael might not co-operate has been eating up Alec since the beginning. What if he chose not to help? What then? Alec can only hope, for Magnus. But even if he disagrees, it doesn’t matter because Alec would do anything to get Magnus out of here, out of this vile place and into safety, it might take a bit longer but he will do it. The more time Raphael took, the more nervous Alec grew. 

After what felt like an eternity, Raphael looked up to them, his lips in a thin line, face set in grave determination.

“That idiot is so stubborn for his own good and that is going to be the death of him. I would prefer if he didn’t die on me. So, what do you want to know?” Alec breathed a sigh of relief at that, at the undertone of care in that angry retort.

“Anything you know. Who is it behind all of this? What is it that is so powerful that they are holding over your head that not a single one of you dared to even raise a finger against them? Why are they doing this? What is actually up with this place? Anything will help at this point.” Luke took charge of the situation, being the father figure he was.

“The answer to most of your questions is that I don’t know.” Luke visibly deflated at that answer but perked up when Raphael chose to continue. “But about what they are holding against us, it’s personal. Something very close to us. Something they know that we’ll go to any length to protect. For me, it’s my little brother’s life.” Alec could have sworn that it was tears, with the way Raphael’s eyes glinted against the light when he tried to look down. He can’t say for sure that he knew exactly how Raphael felt but he had an idea, what with three siblings of his own, Alec knew there’s little he wouldn’t do to keep them safe.

“Why are you here then? What did you do to piss them off that they had your brother?” Luke continued.

“If you expect me to say that I am innocent, then sorry to disappoint you, I am not. I did kill both of them. So there’s that.” Raphael deadpanned, his voice thick with emotions and jaws flexing in anger.

“And the third one? Your sister?” Alec saw the defiance and anger in Raphael’s eyes replaced by the look of utter despair in a matter of seconds at the mention of his sister. When Raphael scrunched his eyes shut and tried hard to get hold of a whimper that made its way up his throat, Alec thought he was going to shut down. Luke was being a little blunt with the questions, but then they didn’t have the luxury of exchanging pleasantries. 

Maia kept a calming hand on his shoulder and at that Raphael calmed down a bit. He took in a deep breath to rein in his emotions and started talking.

“I was working as a surgical resident at St. Johns at that time. We have this special ward for people in a coma and some sort of permanent vegetative state so they can be under constant monitoring. That day, I got called in for a consultation and while I was there, one of the patients had a seizure. Once we got it under control, I was going through her files and something was not right. She had an accident after which she was paralyzed from the neck down. All the necessary care was being given at the hospital but a year ago, she slipped into a coma. They couldn’t find a reason but the brain functions had been normal so the family expected her to wake up, so they left her at life support. But in the case files, I saw that the drugs which were being given were actually those that induced coma than help her wake up.”

Alec had no idea where this was going and he had so many questions that he wanted to ask, but he didn’t dare interrupt Raphael. He could see the others were feeling the same. So he sat back and listened while the other man continued.

“Nothing in the case history denoted that she had to be kept under so I got curious and I decide to consult with my senior, who was in charge of the department. Before leaving, I met up with Dr. Belcourt to discuss the case. She reassured me that it was according to the relatives' wishes that they had done it but something felt out of place. I have never heard of requests like that and even if they did, a year is quite a long time to be put under a coma. There are cases where they did longer than that but then she had no such serious conditions where the body required to be kept under to heal. There is a chance that drugs can damage brain function. So I decided to dig in a little. The next day, I visited the patient again and asked around a few nurses who were there for a long time. No one knew anything other than the fact that Camille was in charge of the case.” Raphael stopped and gestured Maia for a glass of water. She immediately rose and got him a bottle before joining Alec next to him.

Alec saw the hesitation on his face, he was stalling, taking small sips of water and avoiding eye contact with every one of them. Alec soon realized where the story was going and he felt ill, a shiver crawling up his spine. What kind of horrible monsters chose the women, that too a teenage girl to take their revenge? Alec shuddered at the thought of something happening to his sister and he realized that if he was in Raphael’s position, he wouldn’t have done anything differently.

For once, he wanted Raphael to not say anything. He doesn’t want to hear anything else because he can perfectly imagine what happened and if he put it in words, Alec knew he won’t be able to hold on to hear more.

“Were they… Were they really your friends?” Maia’s voice was barely above a whisper next to him.

“Not really. I mean we worked together at the hospital, I knew them. That’s all,” Raphael took a deep breath before continuing, “Everything happened so fast. I found out about the case, took it to Camille the next day and two days later, they…” A violent sob tried to escape Raphael but he swallowed it down and shook his head. “I am not defending what I did but I have no regrets. And I was ready to plead guilty for what I did. When the police caught me and brought me to the precinct, I had a visitor waiting for me. I have never seen that guy before but then he asked me to retell the story the way they wanted, the version that you know. The fact that I was in a holding cell was the only thing that stopped me from punching him but then he showed me pictures. My little brother, every single second of his day documented, somebody, keeping a close eye on him. And they warned me that if I don’t admit to the story, I’ll lose him too.”

“Did you tell your lawyer this?” Luke asked from behind.

“I couldn’t. I have had to struggle ever since I was a kid, coming from a broken family does that to you. I have been taking care of my siblings for as long as I can remember. They were the only people I have left in this world. After all this time, I was at a place to properly take care of Rosa and Lucas. Now I don’t have either of them. Luca thinks I did it so he made it clear that he doesn’t want me in his life and I have to keep it that way, at least he is alive. When I say that we all have something very personal at stake that we won’t give up at any cost, we mean it, and all of these people here, they would rather die than hurt their loved ones.”

“We wouldn’t have asked you if we didn’t want to help. This wasn’t just a storytime for us.” Luke stood up and walked to where Raphael was sitting and kneeled in front of him. “This isn’t just about Magnus. I agree, when I started looking into this, it was for him. The same goes for Alec. But now, even before talking to you, it had changed for us. This is not just a help Magnus mission anymore. We want to help.”

“I appreciate you trying to help, but they are far bigger than you’d expect. And if any of the inmates try to co-operate, will you be able to guarantee the safety of everyone included?” Raphael was not arguing for the sake of it, he knew the risks and he knows the casualties. 

“We can try. It’s better than pretending that you deserve this and turning a blind eye to everything.” Maia joined in.

Alec had a hard time processing his thoughts. As Luke said, it started off as a helping Magnus situation. And soon enough, they were thrown into the exact center of this whirlwind of crime and mind games and betrayal with no end in sight. He tried with all his might to not lose his mind and was slowly zoning out of the conversation that was happening around him as his mind tried to fill in the puzzle. Raphael talking about his brother’s life at stake, it got Alec thinking. His first choice was Magnus’s mother but then even after her death, he kept quiet. Why is he still adamant about brushing everything off as a mere accident? Deep down, Alec had a feeling that he already knew the answer and after what Luke and Raphael said, there wasn’t much left to speculate.

“Clary.” He realized he said it out loud when the other three turned to face him in unison.

“Clary is still in a coma. Magnus is protecting her.” Alec said, looking straight at Luke, he didn’t know if he was trying to tell him not to panic or that everything will be alright, all he knows is that at that moment, Luke needed someone to ground him. And he wasn’t wrong to think so, because what he saw on his face was utter devastation. 

Luke collapsed on the floor, his strong and superior demeanor faltering for a moment. Alec felt a little guilty for jumping the guns, he should have been a bit more empathetic but then tact was never one of his strong suits. But Luke was stronger than he thought. He sprang into action quite faster, a renewed vigor in his actions. He has a new motive, instead of one, both of his children are on crossfire. 

“Did you get any details regarding the family of your case? I mean if they are kept in the dark, maybe we can get a few details from them too.” Luke began pacing in the room, his mind already formulating plans.

“I did. I told her son everything when I found him, a year later, here, when he came in for killing his father.” Alec sighed tiredly and collapsed against the wall next to him. He thought he was done with surprises and revelations when Raphael was done with his story. He felt his heart aching for Magnus, just to hold him closer. Realizing how strong Magnus is after all he had been through Alec couldn’t help but admire the man but he also felt the heart-wrenching pain of seeing everyone you love die one by one and not being able to do anything but stand back and watch. He should have been there for him, his best friend. When the whole world was against Magnus, he should have been there.

Years ago, when they lost each other because of nothing other than their fifteen-year-old egos, Alec should have held on. He shouldn’t have let Magnus go. If he hadn’t, maybe, just maybe none of this would have happened. And even if it did, Magnus would have Alec by his side, every step of the way. Alec did not want to lose him for a second time. He is going to do this right this time, and if he gets his best friend back, then that’s good, right? Maybe not the way he wants Magnus to be, but at least they will be there in each other’s life.

A few hours later, Raphael got up to leave to the infirmary where Magnus was, Alec walked with him. Before he entered the room, Alec held him back and Raphael turned and looked at him in confusion.

“Don’t tell him anything until we talk with Ragnor tomorrow.”

“Okay. Let me know how it goes.”

“I will. And thank you. For telling us. I won’t say that I understand what you have been through but I have a little sister and two brothers of my own, so I can imagine. If I were you, I would have done the same, maybe more. And if we are saving Magnus, you’ll be right by his side, I can promise that. As will be any other innocent people they ditched here.”

Raphael looked at Alec, carefully assessing him, finding nothing but honesty and commitment and promise in his voice. Alec was not waiting for a reply, he just wanted to put it out there so that Raphael knows. And Raphael understands it perfectly, so he nods in acknowledgment and turned and went into the room while Alec caught a glimpse of Magnus sleeping.

There wasn’t much left to discuss after that, at least not until they met Ragnor the next day. So Luke dismantled the group and Alec decided to go back to his room while Maia stayed back since she was still on duty. They all agreed to keep meeting at her office so that everything will stay under wraps and still be able to keep an eye on Magnus. Although Luke won’t be able to be with them all the time, the warden spending too much time in the hospital wing might turn some heads and it is not a good strategy when you still don’t know whom to trust.

On his way back, Alec met up with Jace in his office and recounted Raphael’s story. He had listened to him with wide eyes and Alec saw the dread creeping in his brother’s eyes, the same fear that is eating him up from inside. It was indeed scary, going up against something so huge, someone who holds so much power and authority that they can do anything they want and use any means to silence people who decide to question them, fear doesn’t even begin to describe what they were feeling. But when you are at war, being afraid and staying back is pure stupidity. When people like Raphael, who has no other choice than to keep quiet, take a stand to fight back, Alec simply cannot give up.

There were monsters out there, who hurt Magnus. Monsters who turned the bright shining star that Magnus is into nothing but a mere shadow of his former self. When they are still safe out there, Alec will not give up.

Alec was a nervous bundle before the meeting with Ragnor, what with all the mind-numbing tales he heard last night and the anticipation in what he was going to hear today. He and Jace had left the prison at the earliest possible, but not before paying Magnus a visit. Alec couldn’t stop fidgeting in front of him, guilt crawling inside at betraying his trust by going behind his back and once or twice, Alec thought Magnus had caught on to something by his weird looks but he brushed it off to his nerves and walked away before causing any scenes.

But contrary to his expectations, the meeting turned out to be futile in a sense. The only thing they concluded after brainstorming for what felt like hours, was that someone who fit Raphael’s description visited Magnus while he was in custody before Ragnor came. When Magnus made his phone call to Ragnor, he was frantic about what happened and he had insisted on finding the real culprits behind it. And since it was a high profile case, the arrest had a lot of media attention and hence the scene of Magnus kicking and screaming ‘I didn’t do it’ was all over the TV. So when Magnus took a completely different turn and admitted to the murders without any resistance, Ragnor was as baffled as everyone else, his best friend reluctant to say another word.

Alec and Jace took turns in going over all info they came across from Luke and Raphael and handed over a copy of Luke’s investigation files to Ragnor. Izzy decided to help him and study the case to find any loopholes in their convictions if needed in the future, although there was not much hope. 

With nothing much to go on, they returned by evening, not forgetting to get some burner phones and exchanging numbers before parting. Now that they know that this is much bigger than any of them had ever imagined, it was better to be on alert than give the villains a chance to get hold of them, everyone’s lives are at risk. 

And before they do anything, Alec needs to have the talk he had been postponing since forever. He needs to see Magnus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not a hundred percent happy the way this turned out but this is all I could manage with the little time I had. But in compensation, the next one is a Malec chapter. 
> 
> Please leave a review in the comments. Thank you for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Not A Chapter*

***Not a chapter but an apology***

So I had a planned schedule and complete story outline for this fic before I even started writing because I did not want to get stuck in the middle with no idea what to do with the story, but then Corona happened. I am a doctor and since the last update everything kind of went down the rabbit hole and I am not in the right mindset to finish writing this.   
I am so sorry for disappointing all you lovely people who read and appreciated this. 

I am putting this on hold until I dont know when, hopefully soon. When all of this gets over I 'll delete this note and continue with the story. 

For now, I felt like I owe you an apology and an explanation.

Hoping to come back as early as possible.  
*fingers crossed*

Love you all.  
Take care out there.  
Stay home and stay safe.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking your time and reading this. Please leave a review in the comments.


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